It's fairly pointless to review a CSI game in the conventional way. Seven Las Vegas-based games in, and the biggest change to the series has been the exit of Gil Grissom, replaced by Laurence Fishburne's Ray Langston character. If you're not already a fan of Telltale's 'barely any gameplay, almost no challenge' approach to the CSI games since taking over with 3 Dimensions Of Murder, then CSI: Fatal Conspiracy isn't going to win you over. In fact, each iteration sticks so closely to the tried and tested formula that I'd be surprised if we saw change for quite a few years yet.

The series isn't intended to tax. In fact each game seems to be easier than its predecessor, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing. In a way, I'd hesitate to call them 'games' at all. They're simply interactive stories, point and click-lites aimed at the Hidden Object crowd, fans of the show or of mystery thrillers in general. If this is your first time to the series, or you're curious about trying one of the games, then Fatal Conspiracy is as good a place as any to start. If you're looking for a serious, challenging adventure title then it's probably worth giving up right here, because CSI isn't the series you're looking for. If I was going to compare Fatal Conspiracy to Heavy Rain, or Broken Sword games it's not trying to compete with, then I might as well slap a 3 on and be done with it. And if you're looking for a score to give CSI compared to more serious 'game' games, that's as good a choice as any.

Telltale knows what it's trying to do with Fatal Conspiracy, and that's to provide a very easy, casual gaming experience as a means of framing the true meat; the whodunnit mysteries. Unlike past games, all five cases in Fatal Conspiracy tie together as the name might suggest, and the over-arcing plot adds an attractive element to the proceedings, something only seen previously in the Miami spin-off. Rather than just tying the final case loosely into a previous case, Fatal Conspiracy witnesses the CSI team constantly shadowed by Agent Huntby, an FBI agent on the trail of Beatriz Salazar, notorious drug baroness and 'The Queen of the Hive'. This strand extends throughout all 5 cases (albeit very loosely in one instance.)

Puzzles are even more sparse than in previous entries, with the traditional evidence hunting, DNA and fingerprint matching and whatnot. The focus is most definitely on progressing here, and you'll never be stumped for more than a few minutes at a time, which is disappointing to those looking for a challenge but serves to keep the plot fast-paced, with constant developments. It works, here, because the mysteries are compelling (if a little obvious at times) and the game doesn't shy away from medical terminology, and portrays fairly graphic depictions of murder without ever glorifying them. My main problem with the investigation aspect is that as time's gone on, it's become more and more streamlined to the point that now, you can't really examine anything but the evidence.

Hotspots seem to only direct you to items of note; there are no red herrings and the locations, outside of the areas of suspicion, are quite lifeless. A little more to look at would give the game more character, flesh it out a bit without compromising the accessibility. The locations themselves are a little uninspired too, ranging from a car wash and a burned spa to a generic apartment and a construction site. There's nothing as interesting as 3 Dimensions' gaming trade show, or the rock concert from Deadly Intent, so while the plot is a highlight for the series, it's compromised in other ways.

One thing you do get to look at quite frequently, however, is the in-game advertising. The CSI games have always been quite brazen in this way, but Fatal Conspiracy is basically on par with the Orange cinema adverts, only it's not a joke. Every single person in Las Vegas uses an ASUS computer loaded with Trend Micro Internet Security, and in each case, when you use any of the lab's machines for the first time, a virus scan is performed. At one point, a victim's hard drive is analysed and scanned, with two viruses being picked up. “Trend Micro's detected a virus,” Sarah Sidle exclaims. “Looks like someone's been doing some unsafe surfing.” Naturally, I expected this to tie into the plot, a clever justification of the corporate sponsorship. But no, it had no relevance, and was simply an advert. It's never quite as irritatingly out of place as Captain Brass extolling the virtues of a Visa credit card, but the sheer volume of Trend Micro appearances becomes tiresome very quickly.

Other than the overuse of antivirus software, there's very little to say that would come as a surprise to CSI veterans. The voice acting is generally solid, and Laurence Fishburne is excellent. And there's optional Facebook connectivity if you're into that kind of thing, with the game posting a single-entry summary of the in-game achievements you've earned every time you finish a session.

Coming from someone who's been playing the series since 369 Interactive was developing them, a more challenging direction wouldn't be unwelcome, or at least a return to the days where the puzzles extended beyond matching DNA sequences. I don't think Telltale can afford to simplify the structure any more, but for now Fatal Conspiracy falls on the right side of entertaining; It's worth a purchase for fans of the previous games, but if you're one of those people you probably already knew that. They don't really change, after all. It's an inoffensive, undemanding way to pass 6 or so hours, and it entertains without ever taxing you; much like sitting down with a CSI box set, then.